The odds of the Ducks and Kings meeting again in the playoffs this season appears high, their latest high-energy showdown on Friday serving as a possible appetizer for more of the action that last season took Southland hockey fans on a seven-game ride.

Facing a two-goal deficit and a 112-minute scoring drought heading into the third period against their biggest rivals, the Anaheim Ducks realized their whole season might be affected by the way they finished Friday night.
Corey Perry and the Ducks did...

For those seeking deep, dark omens for the Kings after the Ducks rallied for four goals in the third period Friday and skated off with a 4-2 victory at Honda Center, for those who would see it as a symbol of the Kings' problems or inconsistencies this...

Ryan Kesler bit down on his lip, delivering an unmistakable look of determination Friday as his slumping Ducks fell two goals behind the surging Kings.
"We just kept with it. Being down didn't deter us from our main goal of winning the game," Kesler...

Veteran goalie Ilya Bryzgalov cleared waivers Monday morning, and he’ll discuss his future with the Ducks in a meeting with General Manager Bob Murray later in the day, the team announced.
Bryzgalov, 34, was waived Sunday morning after going 1-4-1...

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The last time Ducks Coach Bruce Boudreau split up Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, he said it lasted one period.
Concerned that both standouts are slumping together – they’ve combined for two goals and an assist in the past five games – Boudreau will put right wing Perry on the second line alongside center Ryan Kesler Friday night against the Calgary Flames.
Getzlaf will have a new right wing, Kyle Palmieri.
“If both of them aren’t going to their level and they're both...

Between Monday's showdown with the Detroit Red Wings and Friday's rematch with the Kings, the Ducks on Wednesday took a night off.
Well, they played the Ottawa Senators, butwhile getting shut out for the third time this season, a 3-0 loss to a goaltender making his third NHL start, the expected effort from the first-place team at Honda Center was absent.
"If we want to be the team we want to be, it has to be the same no matter who you're playing," defenseman Cam Fowler said after the Ducks were beaten...

It’s a tricky balance for Ducks General Manager Bob Murray. He is trying to maneuver his first-place team toward a Stanley Cup as Monday’s trade deadline approaches but doesn’t want to discard key future players.
Murray pulled the trigger on one deal Tuesday, sending rugged, low-scoring forward Devante Smith-Pelly to the Montreal Canadiens for a more skilled scorer, forward Jiri Sekac. Both players are 22 and coming off productive postseasons.
Smith-Pelly had a team-best five playoff...

After a good start carried them to the top of the Pacific Division, the Ducks understandably slipped into cruise control in early February.
"It's a tough time of year whether you're at the bottom or the top. When you're at the top it's almost tougher," center Ryan Getzlaf said. "You get a little complacent and lose a game here or there and you don't think it's that big a deal, and all of a sudden it's two or three and you decide you've got to wake up."
They believe they're awake now. "I hope so,"...

Until a third-period scoring burst, the Anaheim Ducks had no answers for Pavel Datsyuk's domination.
Datsyuk controlled the stat sheet for the Detroit Red Wings until the Ducks' line of Ryan Kesler, Jakob Silfverberg and Andrew Cogliano finally got Anaheim going Monday night.
The Ducks rallied by scoring three goals in the third period after falling behind 2-0. They came away with a 4-3 shootout win over the Red Wings despite two goals from Datsyuk.
Cogliano ignited a furious surge with his goal midway...

ANAHEIM, Calif. Detroit Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg remains sidelined because he isn't feeling well, but he hasn't engaged in the protocol that kicks in when a player is feared concussed.
"I don't think we think there's any need to," general manager Ken Holland told the Free Press on Monday night at Honda Center, where Zetterberg will miss Monday's game against the Ducks. Asked if Zetterberg would be available Tuesday at Los Angeles, coach Mike Babcock said, "not that I know of."
Holland said...